Orchard idea that has grown and grown

Alex Cockburn (left), chair of Stanley and District Men’s Shed, with treasurer Brian Roy at the orchard site

Sign up to FREE email alerts from Daily Record - daily

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Stanley Men’s Shed is hoping to start planting fruit trees on a piece of land at Stanley Mills next month, with the hope of creating a giant orchard for the whole community to enjoy.

Once the orchard has grown, there will be apple, pear and plum trees, as well as a large hedge surrounding them.

But the men’s shed chairman Alex Cockburn said there will be no gates around the orchard, as he wants to make sure everyone is able to enjoy it.

He said: “Stanley Development Trust asked Historic Environment Scotland if it could have a bit of land to make an orchard six years ago, but nothing happened.

“Last July, some of the shedders asked me if we could pursue it and take the project on board, and everyone agreed to it. Historic Environment Scotland agreed to it too.

“I’ve already been in touch with the Woodland Trust who have given us 420 saplings to make a hedge, and we are getting them at the end of February, beginning of March time and they will all be planted by the end of March.

“We are also in close chahoots with the Apple Tree Man, and he is getting us along the way.”

He continued: “I am very excited about all of it, and everything is moving quite quickly now.

“We are going to make a walkway through the orchard too, but it will be an open orchard, there will be no gates on it.

“There will be a mix of young trees and trees that are two or three years old.

“We are also getting some bees organised - someone is going to put some bee hives in as well because we will need to pollinate all these trees.

“I hope to start planting the fruit trees soon and there will be apple trees, pear trees and plum trees - we were advised the best way to do it was to have a mix of fruit trees to pollinate each other.”

Staff working at the nearby A9 dualling also came to lend a helping hand to Stanley Men’s Shed.

The group needed some soil sampling done at the mills before they could start their orchard, and Balfour Beatty, whioch is working on dualling the A9 between Luncarty and the Pass of Birnam, stepped in to help.

Alex added: “It was really kind of Balfour Beatty to come off the A9 and do the soil sampling for us.